


Should've

by Rose_of_Pollux



Series: Inktober for Writers 2018: Hurt/Comfort edition [10]
Category: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-15
Updated: 2018-10-15
Packaged: 2019-08-02 19:00:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 481
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16310876
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rose_of_Pollux/pseuds/Rose_of_Pollux
Summary: Part 1 of 2.  What should have been a simple mission ends up being anything but.





	Should've

It was supposed to have been a routine mission—a simple raid of a THRUSH facility. Since being permanently partnered together a few months ago after a year chasing down the Baron of THRUSH, Napoleon and Illya had been clearing mission after mission with great efficiency and success.

This mission should have been nothing more than a milk run. Other agents had cleared out the facility, taking prisoners and chasing after THRUSHies who had tried to escape. All that had been left to do was to get ahold of any evidence that remained—one last task to do before the duo could get some time off.

“I can make any head or tail of this,” Napoleon said, looking at some pages of scientific formulae. “Does this mean anything to you?”

Illya’s eyes widened.

“Huh, guess so,” Napoleon observed.

“Neutrinos!” Illya exclaimed.

“…Is that good or bad? I have no frame of reference here…” Napoleon said, with a smirk. He had street smarts, but when it came to sciency stuff like this, he would always let his double-doctor partner (holding a PhD in quantum physics and a medical degree in pathology) take the lead.

“They are trying to isolate dark matter!”

“…I’m guessing that’s bad?”

“Well… we do not know,” Illya said. “Dark matter is a theory—but it is believed that most of the universe is comprised of it. We simply do not know what could occur if it was isolated—but we cannot allow THRUSH to be the first to do so!”

Napoleon made a sweeping motion over his head to indicate that he didn’t understand any of the technical details, but understood the importance.

“Just tell me what to do,” he said.

“Comb over every inch of this room to get all the research information you can,” Illya said. “Search in places that might not be obvious—under tables, in cubbyholes, anything that might hide top-secret research.”

“Right,” Napoleon said, and began to comb the room. There appeared to be a panel in the bottom of the wall beneath a table, as Illya had suggested. He crawled under, trying to reach it.

It was as he was trying to pry the panel open that he heard footsteps heading for the lab, and a horrified gasp.

“You…!” a voice sputtered. “What have you done!?”

Napoleon peeked out from under the table, his blood freezing as he saw a THRUSH scientist—one who had obviously been out during the raid, drawing a gun on Illya.

“My research! You’ve ruined my research!” he screamed.

Napoleon calmly seized his Special, aiming it at the THRUSH scientist… and only a “click” emitted from it. At the worst possible moment, the Special had jammed.

He had no weapon. But he was not about to lose his partner to a vengeful THRUSH scientist—he would find a way to save him, just as he always did.


End file.
